A statement win
12.1144
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.1144 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
4th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition
May 29–30, 2015 · Valley, NE
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS won Grand Champion at the 4th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition on May 29, 2015 in Valley, NE, scoring 687.4288 in a field of 28 teams. BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ took Reserve Grand Champion with 675.3144. Category winners: Chicken — BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ (174.2744); Pork Ribs — PARROTHEAD SMOKERS (175.4172); Pork — BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ (175.4172); Brisket — YOU GONNA LIKE IT (175.4744).
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
585.10
median 639.60
687.43 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.27
- Pork Ribs 175.42
- Pork 175.42
- Brisket 175.47
137.05
175.47
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
687.4288
Winning margin
12.1144
GC over RC
Field average
637.68
585.10687.43
median 639.60 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.9428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
648.4804
585.10687.43
10th place overall
Field spread
102.3320
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 77%
beats 23% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.57 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,533
avg power rating going in · stronger than 24% of contests
Storylines (4 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 7 calls decided inside half a point
Pork places 3–4: BUCKSHOTBBQ and WHEN PIGS DIE tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: WHEN PIGS DIE and PARROTHEAD SMOKERS tied on 170.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: SMOKEY BEAR'S BBQ NEBRASKA edged SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT by 0.0116.
- Pork 3–4 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Brisket 8–9 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
BURNT AT BOTH ENDZ won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 5th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 3rd
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.2744 | 170.3316 | 164.5600 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4172 | 166.2744 | 162.8800 |
| Pork | 175.4172 | 170.8572 | 166.8572 |
| Brisket | 175.4744 | 167.4516 | 159.9544 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 687.4288 · median 639.6000
Chicken
28 entries · top 174.2744 · median 161.9598
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 175.4172 · median 160.5772
Pork
28 entries · top 175.4172 · median 164.5486
Brisket
28 entries · top 175.4744 · median 157.1086